Archived Electrical Issue 1989 newbie

[pepecat]

Greetings,

I bought a 1989 ram diesel last week in great shape, however I made a clumsy mistake. I wanted to change the battery because the original was old and causing corrosion. So in the process of removal I accidentally grounded the positve terminal out on the engine compartment causing lots of sparks but then I realized that it was still grounded for a few secondsafter the sparks. And that's when the problems started. I have since installed a brand new optima battery.

problem #1. the more IOC items (engine compart. light, brake lights, cabin lights) that are on the dimmer they are and the brighter these panel lights get : oil idiot light, turn signal lights and bright headlight indicator light.

#2. Starts normally and runs fine, however, the #1 problem stays the same. The panel lights (turn signals and bright headlight indicator) are bright as ever, the oil light goes out.

#3 Engine will not shut down if headlights are on. If headlights and all extra current draw items are shut down , the engine will shut down normally. It seems like it is grounding out somewhere. I haven't driven it at all so I have no idea if it is charging or not anymore. I drove it over 500 miles so far and it has run perfectly, until I put my greasy hands on it.

I have looked in past threads for similar situations but havne't found any. Thanks for any advice, and I'm really glad to have found this resource. Happy dieseling

Nick

 

[B.G. Smith]

Sounds like you have a bad ground connection somewhere. There should be a good ground to the engine, frame, front clip(fenders, radiator support frame etc. ), the cab and then the instrument cluster is grounded to the dash. There should be a ground strap between the engine and cab. In most cases, the ground cable from the battery splits and goes to the engine and the frame/sheetmetal. Welcome to the forums and the diesel owners world and good luck. bg

 

[kstehnacs]

Check all the fusible links located on the left inner fender (about between the battery and firewall).

 

[pepecat]

It worked

Thanks for the advice and for the 911 forum. I'm very grateful for this site! My problem turned out to be a bad ground connection to the front clip. I'm happy to have the ram back on the road! Here is a pic, thanks again

Nick